The Power of Simple Communication: Why Plain Language Is Better Than Complex Jargon

Simple communication is often better than using complex language, especially if you are trying to reach out to the biggest audience possible.

A new study published in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology discovered that the use of complex jargon can often turn people off from learning topics like science and politics, even when specialized words are defined.

“In the study, 650 adults participated online. They read a paragraph about each of three science and technology topics: self-driving cars, surgical robots and 3D bio-printing.

About half of them read versions of the paragraphs with no jargon and half read versions with jargon.

For example, one of the sentences in the high-jargon version of the surgical robots paragraph read: ‘This system works because of AI integration through motion scaling and tremor reduction.’

The no-jargon version of that same sentence read: ‘This system works because of programming that makes the robot’s movements more precise and less shaky.'”

Unless you already know a lot about AI, the latter sentence is going to be much easier to comprehend than the former sentence.

One of the major problems with complex jargon is that it makes the listener or reader feel isolated, like they “don’t belong” in the conversation. So they walk away feeling less interested and less knowledgeable on the subject.

Complex language can also sometimes give the impression that someone is trying to “sound smart” or “impress others” to win them over, rather than try to educate and teach.

This “jargon trap” is common among many academics, scientists, and philosophers who have trouble reaching a public audience. On the other hand, politicians and marketers have understood the power of simplicity for a long time now. And that’s why it’s been shown that many successful politicians typically speak at a 6-8th grade reading level.

Politicians don’t necessarily speak at a low reading level because they are dumb, they do it by design to reach out to the largest number of people possible.

Simple communication is key for connecting with people. And it’s something that we should all be aware of throughout our daily conversations and arguments.

In fact, simple communication is one of the main things I’ve learned after 10 years of blogging. I used to write in very abstract terms and I loved dropping “big scientific words” whenever I could. But overtime, I learned that the articles that got the most positive feedback from others were often the simplest.

Now when people say my writing is very “simple” or “easy-to-read,” I take it as a huge compliment. And when people say, “Wow, you’re so smart, the topic went over my head,” I take it as something I need to work on.

Simple Communication: Tips and Advice

Here’s a breakdown of key tips and advice to consider to become better at simple communication.

• Start from your audience’s perspective. All smart communication begins by starting from your audience’s perspective. This is true whether it’s just a single person you are having a conversation with – or a public speech in front of hundreds or thousands of people. Ask yourself, “Where is my audience coming from? What does my audience know? How can I guide them to what I know?” If you don’t start from the other person’s perspective, there will always be some type of miscommunication along the way.
• Try a “beginner’s mindset.” A beginner’s mindset is a great way to strip away your prior knowledge and experience and look at a topic from a completely fresh perspective. Often I recommend this to help people think more creatively, but it’s also an effective way to approach a topic as a complete newbie. By pretending “I know nothing,” you can rebuild what you know in more simpler and commonsense terms, which will help you connect with people who have no knowledge of what you’re talking about. Ask yourself, “If I had to explain this topic to a child, what would I say?”
• Adopt other people’s words and language. One common roadblock to communication is being too attached to certain words or concepts, especially “buzzwords” that often have very subjective definitions and emotional connotations. While definitions are important, sometimes it’s best to just adopt other people’s language in the way they use it. This is sometimes referred to as the “echo effect,” and it’s also a good way to build trust and rapport. For example, if someone uses the word “soul” or “God” or “capitalism/socialism” in a certain way – I won’t argue with them – I’ll just assume their definition and operate from their perspective. So much miscommunication boils down to arguing over semantics and the “meaning of words,” but that often stops us from diving into the real meaning behind what people are saying. Occasionally I’ll step back and ask someone, “What do you mean by that?” but I try to avoid getting into arguments such as “Well, actually that word means…” because it almost always leads to a dead-end.
• Share stories and personal examples. One great way to illustrate complex topics in a simple and relatable way is to find stories that help convey the topic. In general, most people don’t just learn isolated facts and concepts, they learn stories and narratives, because that’s how our brains tend to organize information. If you can distill a concept into a simple story or personal example from your life, you’ll be able to communicate your idea to a much wider audience.
• Use metaphors and analogies. Metaphors are another great way to transform complex concepts into something simple and easy to understand. For example, saying “the brain is like a computer” can help people understand concepts like inputs of information and outputs of behavior. Of course metaphors are always imperfect and imprecise, but a good metaphor can illustrate a central concept that can help people get the gist of what something is about, even if they don’t understand any of the technical knowledge. Try to think of at least one or two good metaphors that illustrate what you want to communicate – the more you can extend the metaphor to fit what you want to teach, the better of a metaphor it is.
• Keep things short and break things down. Simplicity and brevity are closely related. From a writing perspective, short sentences and paragraphs often make things more readable and digestible. And visual breakdowns (like subheaders, bullet-points, and highlighted text) are also a very helpful way to make things more presentable for others. You’ll notice most of my articles have lists, because I know most people just “skim through” articles and read whatever catches their attention. Most people only remember about 10% of any content they consume, so you have to actively choose what 10% you really want to stick with them.
• There is a place for complex language. Simplicity is good for communication, but complexity is sometimes necessary for understanding a topic at a deeper level. Complex language is appropriate when you really want to become an expert in a topic. Sometimes we require those specialized words and concepts to understand the finer details and nuances of a given subject. Or if you want to read a scientific study or philosophical paper, you’ll likely need to have some background before you can fully understand it. I’m not anti-complexity, but there’s definitely a time and place for it.

These are just a few key things to keep in mind when it comes to “simple communication.”

From a broader view, we need more people who can breakdown complex concepts into simpler language, especially with topics like science, politics, law, finance, psychology, economics, or medicine.

We have more scientific knowledge than ever before, but we still have trouble conveying this knowledge to the general public.

To accomplish this, we are going to need a “simple language” movement that can help transform this knowledge into everyday concepts that people can learn and apply to their everyday lives.

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